A North East MP says he is confident about the future of a £3.8bn Gigaplant on his patch - after reports that it was 'on life support'.

Bosses at the multi-bilion pound Britishvolt Gigaplant in Ian Levy's Wansbeck constituency - which is planning to bring up to 8,000 jobs to the North East - have already hit back at reports that it is facing major problems as it plans the manufacture of the world’s most sustainable, low carbon battery cells.

Read more: Britishvolt admits it is 'rescheduling' some work at site

But reports today said the company had been forced onto 'life support', shutting down many aspects of the operation to save money.

 

The Northern Echo: Blyth Valley MP Ian LevyBlyth Valley MP Ian Levy

The project on a 93-hectare site at the former Blyth Power Station will bring  3,000 direct highly-skilled jobs, another 5,000 will be created in the associated supply chains.

Leaked documents suggested a 'funding gap' may have caused delays to the installation of steel infrastructure and earthworks, but Blyth Valley MP Ian Levy told The Northern Echo: "A project of this magnitude and importance will always experience highs and lows.

"I'm in regular contact with British Volt and I am reassured that the project is progressing at pace and we can look forward to thousands of new jobs coming to the Blyth Estuary."

The company was also in bullish mood, saying there as 'no change' to the projected job numbers, but admitting "current global supply chain conditions have affected Britishvolt in the same way as many other businesses.  Critical materials such as steel are in short supply pushing up costs and lead times."

But despite the challenges, a company spokesperson told The Northern Echo: "We are progressing ahead of schedule in our enabling works at the Britishvolt Gigasite in Cambois, near Blyth, Northumberland. This has allowed us to take the time to focus on design work for the site and to reschedule some strands of construction work, optimising the build process for each of the project’s four phases."

 

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